# US 5,894,425 A · Wireless secondary interface for data storage device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,894,425 A - Document ID: US5894425A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/807,925 - Filed: 1997-02-28 - Granted: 1999-04-13 - Earliest claimed: 1997-02-28 - Assignees: Quantum Corporation - Inventors: George A. Saliba - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5894425A ## CPC - G06F 11/2221: {to test input/output devices or peripheral units} - G01R 31/31915: {In-circuit Testers} - G11B 27/34: Indicating arrangements {(indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D)} - G11B 27/36: Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing {(for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract A mass storage device includes a secondary bidirectional interface digital port connected to an embedded microcontroller, and a wireless communications path, such as an optical infra-red (IR) path, connected to the secondary bidirectional interface port for providing a wireless bidirectional secondary communications path between the embedded microcontroller and an external service unit which is not directly connected to the digital computer via a primary electrical bus structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer peripheral mass storage device for providing mass storage of user digital data to a computer and including an embedded device microcontroller, and a primary user data interface structure for passing digital user data recorded on storage media to a digital computer electrically connected to the computer mass storage device via a primary electrical bus structure, the computer peripheral mass storage device being included in a device housing and further comprising: a front panel of the device housing accessible to the user, a bidirectional optical path extending through the front panel and viewable by the user, the bidirectional optical Path including a separating device for separating light energy into two components, a first visible light emission device operated by the embedded device microcontroller and coupled to the optical path for providing visual indication of device activity or status to the user, a second bi-directional optical light emission/detection means coupled to the optical path and providing a wireless secondary interface of the peripheral mass storage device for receiving and sending device-specific information from and to an external device-specific data source, optical path emission/detection support circuitry connected to the emission/detection means, a secondary bidirectional interface digital port interconnecting the device microcontroller and the optical path emission/detection support circuitry, for enabling the embedded device microcontroller to receive and send device-specific information from and to the external device-specific data source. ### Claim 2 (depends on 2) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 2 wherein the device comprises a digital streaming tape drive. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 2 wherein the device comprises an optical disk drive. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device comprises a hard disk drive. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the separating device comprises a prism located interiorly adjacent of the front panel for directing light energy between the path and the optical path emission/detection means in a first direction, and for directing visible light energy from the first visible light emission device to the optical path in a second direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the optical path emission/detection means comprises an infra-red light energy emitter and an infra-red light energy receiver. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the external device-specific data source comprises a portable peripheral storage device service computer in effective optical proximity to the computer peripheral mass storage device and including an optical path detection/emission means for passing light energy carrying the device-specific information between the service computer and the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 7 wherein the portable peripheral storage device service computer comprises a personal digital assistant device having a bidirectional optical port directed at the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 7 wherein the portable peripheral storage device service computer comprises a factory robot having a bidirectional optical port directed at the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device microcontroller collects device status information and sends the device status information to the external device-specific data source via the wireless secondary interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the external device-specific data source sends firmware updates to the device microcontroller via the wireless secondary interface.